Chesapeake Semester: Farm Visits

As part of the third journey, which concentrates on policy that effects the bay, Chesapeake Semester students visited a variety of farms, including grain farms, a poultry operation, two dairies, and leaders.

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The Poultry industry drives the economy of the Delmarva. It is the predominant source of agriculture and the primary reason that the relatively small family farms of the Eastern Shore can continue to grow grain crops competitively. But poultry— and more specifically poultry litter- has also been identified as a major source of nutrient pollution for the Chesapeake. Chesapeake Semester students would meet with Jim Perdue in his Seaford based Agri-Recycle Plant, followed by a farm tour of a poultry operation in northern Kent County.

As part of the third journey, which concentrates on policy that affects the bay, Chesapeake Semester students visited a variety of farms, including grain farms, a poultry operation, two dairies, and a diversified operation that capitalizes on recent interest in local foods.

The final day of the week students would meet with experts in the field of land conservation and community planning. They met with Rob Etgen of the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy (ESLC), Jay Falstad, Director of Communications at Queen Anne’s County Conservation Association, and Jenn Hicks, community planner and group facilitator for Sustainable Delmarva, a local organization with a regional vision.

Chesapeake Semester students hit the road for Journey 1, “Discovering a Sense of Place,” which included a ten-day 842 mile trip circumnavigating the Bay. Students departed from Chestertown and traveled down the Delmarva and up the Western Shore of Maryland stopping at historic landmarks like Jamestowne, Colonial Williamsburg, Shirley Plantation, Historic St. Mary’s City, our state capital Annapolis, Havre de Grace, and Port Deposit.